Fear itself
by NCR Ranger
Summary: As Arcadia's capital reels under the weight of the Covenant's genocidal campaign, one of its denizens must face the storm not only brought by the aliens, but also within himself.
1. Chapter 1

Adam Hadren sat against the pearl white wall of the subway's entrance tunnel, clenched the straps of his half full backpack tight over his knobby teenage shoulders, and did his best to ignore the sounds of his world ending above him.

It was louder than he thought.

The big automatic sliding doors that barred the way outside couldn't block out all the noises of what was happening out there.

Screams.

A lot of screaming; panicked and terrified screaming. Even if the doors had been wide open, Adam didn't think he'd be able to understand what was being said anyway. When a whole bunch of folks began screaming, especially in fear, it was all just a wall of gibberish. Not that it mattered really what they were saying. The intent was clear enough. They were all frightened out of their minds, to say the least.

Explosions.

It seems every few seconds, something was exploding, and detonating. Sometimes, the explosions sounded like they were close by, just outside the doors, loud enough to have Adam's ears ring and ache for a few moments after each one. Others, sounded like they were further away, producing noise that reminded Adam of thunderclaps. All of them, though, had the walls and floor around him vibrate, and the ceiling groaned, as shockwaves from the blasts rippled through the Arcadian soil.

Vehicles.

Pirth City was a good sized metropolis, and Adam was used to the echos of car and truck engines, as daily traffic flowed through the streets around his apartment building ( because, the countryside was too quiet ). But, right now, the heavy rumbling growl of what could only be tanks had replaced them, along with a steady _chnk, chnk, chnk_ , of something big, built of metal, and on legs moving past. There's also been a strange _whrrmm-_ ing sound as well, though Adam couldn't remember ever seeing or hearing about what could produce a sound like _that._

In the end, though, the whole swirling vortex of noise, bedlam, and chaos out there, although it was pure confusion to him, Adam still knew one thing about it. One thing that he could be sure of:

The aliens were here. They'd come to kill everyone.

Well, the _Covenant_ , as the official Colonial Emergency Broadcast news report had called them, issued years ago to warn the denizens of Arcadia of the existence of the Xeno alliance. Adam had been 10 at the time, just beginning another term of school at Fyerlend Elementary, when word that the colony world of Harvest had been attacked by actual, genuine _aliens,_ who had attacked for seemingly to reason, arrived, falling on everyone with the weight of a freight train.

It all seemed so long ago. To the point, where it was like another lifetime, and he'd begun a new life, where the Covenant wouldn't leave him, or anyone else in the Human Race alone.

* * *

Adam knew he'd always remember the look on hos mother's face when she arrived to take him home early that day from school, as everyone was near-immediately dismissed for the day, out of fears that Arcadia might be attacked at any time. She'd rushed right there from her place of work- managing her own clothing store in uptown- and practically crushed Adam;s rib cage by hugging him when she found him patiently- and very confusedly, considering what kind of news had just been conveyed to them- outside the main school building, with all the other student and faculty, all still processing, as best they could, what they'd just heard.

" Adam ! Honey, I got here as soon as I could ", she confessed, voice heavy with emotion as she held him.

He hugged her back, taking the incomparable soothingness of one's mother holding you, and letting it temper the raging uncertainty, and borderline fear that was on his own mind.

 _" Its ok, Mother ",_ he insisted, hugging her back. " It wasn't that long, really. I knew you'd here. "

" Even so ! ". She held on a little longer, then slowly, almost reluctantly, pulled away, to look him in the face. " I all but paniced when the broadcast came through. They're saying so many are dead on Harvest. The aliens didn't spare anyone. It just, it, well, I thought they might be on their way here already. I thought only about you ".

Adam couldn't blame her. Nobody could be expected to take that kind of revelation, and be anything but more than a bit jolted by it. Adam himself felt a sense of numbness over everything else, even more than his fear. Like it was some manner of dream that that merged with reality somehow, and now the two of them were the same thing.

At least he wouldn't be navigating it alone.

" Come. Let's get you home "

She took his arm, and firmly, but gently as well, began to draw him alongside her as they headed for her car. Around them, other students, and their guardians/ parents, were also emotionally reuniting, and hustling out to their own vehicles, as a low hum of rapid fire, anxious chatter began to rise above the scattered crowd.

Adam stole a glance at the sky.

It was mostly cloudy, with the bright Arcadian sun shining boldly through the gaps. Typical, during this time of year, but as of right now, nothing was typical anymore.

Some part of Adam- that sense of fear, no doubt, that was still there, and inexorably growing stronger- had expected something different to be up there.

Nothing less, than the Covenant themselves.

* * *

6 years ago.

6 years. 2,172 days, from when the existence of the Covenant had become known to the citizens of Arcadia, to now.

Throughout those 2, 172 days, Adam and his mother had lived their life, in two kinds of ways.

On one hand, they'd gradually returned to their daily routines. After the initial panic of an imminent invasion didn't manifest, schools and businesses slowly began to reopen, and the colonists drifted- more or less- back into great reluctance, Adam's mother- Juliara- had let him return to school, though she insisted on driving him home every day, rather than using the bus. Aware that she was keen to keep her close to him now, Adam offered to help out at the store, or even to just to do his after school work there, which he suspected had been her intent all along.

It probably had been.

That was just the normal part of their existence, though. Well, as close to normal as they could be.

Because, there were always drills.

Every week, in Pirth City, sirens wailed as if a tornado was bearing down on them. Speakers everywhere, blasting out the warning to all who could hear it, that it was time to move. They weren't told each time if it was a drill, of course, but that just helped with the urgency of everyone's movements, at least with the first few ones. The colonial government wanted everyone to be ready at the drop of a hat- sensibly- to evacuate, the minute the Covenant did show their faces here. After the first few drills, even when nothing remotely alien was anywhere to be seen, nobody said anything. If there were aliens out there, and they were coming for Arcadia, then being even partially ready to run for their lives when the moment- _when_ \- came, just might save them.

Might.

It was a bizarre, and unsettling paradox, and Adam wished his father was here for it. But, Benjamin Hadren had been taken from them, years ago, when Adam was just 4 in a car accident downtown. That day had broken both Adam and Juliara, but it had also tied them even closer together, if that's what grief did. Benjamin, from what Adam could remember of him, had been a man who always aimed to do right be his family, no matter what his career as a city policeman demanded of him, and he'd talked to Adam much about how a man ( a " big boy ", as Adam had always remembered it at the time ) couldn't let his fear bully him.

Adam had always been a quiet, reserved child, and his mother had expressed concern that it would be difficult for him to fit in with other children. Benjamin, though, an outgoing and gregarious person, rather different from his wife ( which could explain how they'd been attracted to each other in the first place ) , and who was more like their son, had taken the point to spend time with Adam, gently instilling in him values that would do him good in the future.

" _Its ok to be scared ",_ he'd once told him _" But, its not ok to let being scared force you to do things. Always think, when you're scared. Think, and it can't do anything " ._

One of the few things Adam could remember from the short years his father had been alive. He'd always remembered them.

Well, now at this point in time, they were essentially all he could think about, as he hunkered down in the subway's tunnel, listening to the Covenant destroying and killing everything and everyone outside.

This day, though, had begun so differently.

It was a Sunday ( which should've told him something, surprise attacks always happened on a Sunday. That was a cheap move, Japan ), and as school wasn't on today, Adam had decided to ride the subway downtown to spend a few hours with his classmates at the PearlCrest Mall, for some arcade time and food court cuisine- a teenager's vacation. He did have some projects for school to finish up, and Juliara reminded him that those needed to be dealt with first.

So, Adam had suggested- and gotten her to agree on- a deal. He'd take his books with him, stop at the Alexander library first, put the finishing touches on his work, then continue to the mall. It was a sort, easy plan, and it all offered perfect ways to keep his mind off how the Covenant were still out there, and in all likelihood, still coming for them.

As he stepped into the subway car at Thebes Station, he was reminded that they were, the way that nobody wanted.

 _Shreeee. Shreeeeee. Shreeeeeee !  
_

The unmistakable trill of a public emergency broadcast had everyone jumping for a half second, drills or no drills. Adam, standing halfway between the two sets of doors at the front and back of the car, felt a bolt of adrenaline race up his spine, and his pulse increased.

It was happening, he thought reflexively. This wasn't a drill. He thought that every time there was one, but-

" Attention, all citizens , attention ! Covenant forces have arrived ! Repeat, Covenant forces have arrived ! Begin evacuation protocols ! "

In sync with the proclamation, the avatar of the city's transit system AI: Alisia, an attractive, dark haired woman dressed in a blouse and skirt, had appeared.

" Please, everyone ! Do not panic ", she implored them. " You have all trained for this. I know you're scared, but don't let it control you. Remember what you learned ! Please file off the train in an orderly and organized fashion. "

The crowd's reaction was an impressive cross between terror, and grim determination. Some began babbling and screaming, predictably, while others sought to quiet them down, and remind them that Alsia was right. This was what they'd been practicing for, and they had to keep their heads on straight if they were going to live.

As the train sped up, and accelerated toward the nearest stop- Sparta Station- Adam couldn't help but be fixated on how what the AI just said was similar to his father's advice.

Great minds think alike. Well, a mind and an AI, at least.

His palms got a clammy, and he bit his lower lip. More icy adrenaline flowed through him.

 _The Covenant was here._

* * *

 _The Covenant was here._

 _BMMMMM, BMMM, BMMM !_

A trio of detonations shook the Arcadia, and the walls and floor thrummed in response.

Yes, they were here.

Adam sat alone, on the steps. Alone.

The rest of his fellow travelers had gone.

As soon as the train reached Sparta station, a curious sort of half mad stampede stampede, half forced march and shoving was matched by weaving and shouldering as everyone exited the train car. Alarms began to blare again, and Alsia's avatar reappeared, gesturing and calling for them to go through the exits that would lead to the surface.

They were all scared, of course. Terrified, even. No amount of training or drills could erase that. But, said training and drills did seem to have an effect. Rather that forming a mad mob, the crowd surged out as one, agitated and in full survival mode, but not giving in to panic.

Yet.

Adam was carried along with them, bumped and jostled, but holding his own. He could see the doors that led up and out of the station, just ahead, over everyone's heads. They were almost there-

The doors opened.

Adam could only get a glimpse of the sky from where he was, but it was speckled, littered, but bulbous, curved, purple craft descending from the sky. Other fliers, smaller, and more oblong, raced alongside them. They were low, close enough that their whiteish blue running lights glared like they were a few yards away.

" What the-! "

" Is that them ?! "

" The Covenant ?! "

Everyone's astonishment at finally seeing the Alien enemy for the very first time lasted a grand total of about 4 seconds.

Before the first plasma bolt struck them.

 _Bmm !_

And then the next few ones.

Everyone at the front of the pack got a housewarming gift from the Covenant: white hot plasma.

Adam heard the leading folks die. He saw the flashes as they were vaporized by the boiling alien fire.

And then all bedlam was unleashed.

" RUN ! GO, GO, GO ! "

It was like stepping off the landing vessels during the Battle of Tarawa. Folks just pushed forward, racing, stumbling, sprinting even, out into the jaws of the Covenant's attack. It was the last thing you'd expect civilians to do in the event of, well, _this._ You'd expect them to run away from the gunfire, not _toward_ it.

Well, technically, they weren't running at it. They were running _past_ , and _through_ it. They were letting their training and instincts take over, and both happened to say the same thing:

Get. Out. Of. Here.

They scattered as they left the subway. Some took off on their own, others formed ad hoc groups that careened along together. They ran down the walkway that led from the doors, over the well maintained grass that grew between it an the street beyond.

As plasma rained down, and killed them.

Adam wasn't among them.

He didn't freeze, when the first plasma began hitting. He didn't. He just, didn't do was everyone else was. Instead of running with them, he found himself turning around, seemingly on autopilot.

And went back the way he came.

The crowd nearly bowled him over, on its rapid departure from the station. They didn't slow down an iota, barrelling outside. All with a single minded purpose: find a way to reach the evacuation ships. It was the only way any of them could think they could survive this. And they were all determined to survive.

So was Adam, but he wasn't sure how.

Because, he'd stayed back. He'd all but crashed, literally, through the crowd, back toward the bottom of the stairs, amid all the knocks, jostles, and even shouts at him, of " Kid, where's you going ! ? ", and " Wrong way, boy ! ". There was no room for anyone to help him, though, and he suspected they wouldn't have anyway. They must've thought he was crazy, or too frightened to leave. Or both.

In any case, they'd left, and he hadn't.

* * *

Now, he was alone, just listening to everything being erased outside.

He sat there. For how long, he couldn't say. It could've been ours, or it could've been half of one. Adam didn't know. He just stayed there, in the emptiness of the tunnel. Alone.

Alsia wasn't anywhere to be heard or found. She must've been knocked out of action by the Covenant, which left Adam with nobody to talk to.

He just had himself. The solitude. And the battle- was it even a battle- outside.

And his thoughts, which were perhaps the greatest torment.

He thought of his mother. His only family, who'd raised him with such strength and diligence, and love, all these years. Through the pain of Benjamin's death, she's carried on, and molded her son to be the man her husband would've been proud of. She wouldn't admit it- she was too humble for that- but Adam thought she'd done a fine job.

Where was she ? Was she still-

No. No, she had to still be alive. She couldn't have followed Benjamin.

No !

And, speaking of Benjamin, the father Adam barely knew, had Adam truly followed that advice ? Had he let his fear control him ? Had turning back and staying put been the smart choice, or had _that_ been the fearful call ?

He'd thought, right before he decided. He had, and now he found himself here. It was all a blur, now.

The Covenant. The plasma. How to survive it all.

Survive. That's what he'd thought about. He thought he couldn't, not out there. So, he'd followed his father's words, and it'd led him here.

To his salvation, or his death ? He wasn't sure.

Adam rested his head against the wall.

He was sure he'd find out soon.


	2. Unwelcome guests

_Chrmmm !_

Adam's head lifted upright in a half second, as a new sound reached his ears.

 _Chrmmm, rmmmm !_

That head- his whole body, in fact- shifted and pivoted around in the direction of that sound. It was one he recognized at once, one he'd become very familiar with over the past 6 years of riding the network.

The doors were opening.

Already, a sliver of sunlight had poured through the narrow, bur rapidly widening gap, that the doors had left as they slid further and further apart. Adam was far enough down, so that he couldn't see the doors themselves, but the band of sunlight that had fallen down the concrete, litter free steps was something he had definitely noticed.

Outside, the explosions and screaming hadn't died down, not at all, but the echos of them had somehow, shifted, as if exactly who and what was causing them was moving around, getting closer but also moving away.

More adrenaline was pumped into his veins. His pulse sped up, his palms became cold. It was the old response to danger and a threat that he'd experienced already, when he'd first heard of the Covenant, and at the moment in time where their assault on Arcadia had become known to everyone.

The kind of response that had him thinking of his father's words yet again. He sprang to his feet, as the beam widened further. There were a handful of seconds left until the doors were fully open.

Did he run _this_ time ?

Did he stay, again ?

Fear, his old specter these past few years, reared its head again. He could feel it, gripping him, as he stood, poised to either run back down the step, further into the tunnels, or sit/lean back against the wall.

Who was there ?!

Was it-

" Hello ?! Anyone down there ?! "

A man hollered into the depths of the subway.

A deep voiced man, not even 40 from the sound of it, and who spoke with a commanding tone.

Like a _soldier's._

Adam experienced a strong ebb in his fear levels. They didn't fade altogether, but they'd weakened. He felt his fists un clench, along with the other fear markers slowly leaving him.

Someone had found him, and it wasn't the Covenant.

" Yes ! ", he shouted back, raising his own voice and hoping it didn't sound too scared. " There's someone here ! "

" What the- ? Is that a _kid_ I hear ? Are you by yourself ?! "

The man's shouted inquires were met by the sound of military boots, sounding out a pattern as they were walked across the floor, and descending the steps. A steady noise, that quickly got louder. as the unknown man drew nearer to where Adam was.

Tightening one hand around his backpack strap again, Adam took a few steps up the stairs, not rushing, but not dragging his heels either. Only little children ran up stairs, after all. And he wanted this solider, whoever he was, to know he was dealing with someone who was a bit more grown up than that.

A few steps further, and the head and upper torso of the man in question came into view, along with the rest of him, as he reached the landing above Adam.

He was imposingly tall, even to Adam, who knew he stood at roughly 5'10. At over 6ft, he was at least a head taller, and to boot, also quite a lot bigger, with the physique of someone who'd spent years routinely building his body into top fighting shape. His head was shaved down to a 1, and the lower half of his weather-beaten, strong boned face was carpeted by a 5:00 shadow, which seemed to be there by choice, not accident.

The solider stopped, eyebrows rising in clear surprise to find he was indeed facing a teenage down here, in the subway system of a city currently under siege by the Covenant. His eyes, brown and the the piercing gaze of someone who had a instinctive knack for being aggressive, riveted on Adam.

" Good grief, son. How'd you get down here ?! "

Adam blinked. His mouth had come open, but he didn't speak.

Partially, because he hadn't ever seen a solider fresh off the battlefield before, let alone one against an alien enemy. The man standing in front of him had purple liquid- purple _blood_ \- splashed and stained over his interlocking, sand shaded body armor plates, only partially dried. In his hands was a angular, steel grey shaded assault rifle, a few wisps of smoke still rising from its barrel.

He looked, well, _dangerous._ Even without the appearance of a veteran.

The solider must've mistaken Adam's silence, and expression, for fear of him, because he quickly slung the rifle over his back, and extended a gloved hand, palm out.

" Hey, easy, easy. My name is John. Sergent John Forge, of the UNSC. I came to get you out. "

UNSC ?

" Me ? Adam. My name is Adam Hadren. I, ah, I just didn't think _anyone_ had come ", Adam finally spoke. He hated that he'd _appeared_ all nervous and intimidated, even though he hadn't actually been.

So much for keeping up appearances.

Swallowing briefly, he hurriedly continued.

" I was down here when the aliens attacked. Everyone else ran outside, because that's what the evac plans said we should do, but they opened fire on us. I thought I'd be better off if I stayed. "

Great. That was babbling. Adam berated himself.

Fortunately, the soldi-Forge, didn't seem to mind. He nodded slowly, with a ' Hmm ' sound, of being vaguely impressed.

" Not bad, kid. No plan survives contact with the enemy anyway. "

It seemed to be Adam's nature to remember what seemed to be pieces of advice, spoken to him by men who followed a career in the field of law enforcement, or the Military. His own father, Benjamin, had been a policeman, and Adam still remembered how tough and brave he looked while in uniform. He still remembered what he'd said, about the nature of fear.

Adam missed him every day. He'd hadn't had someone like that in his life after Benjamin had died.

Until now.

 _Great minds really do think alike, don't they ?_

Forge glanced back up the stairs. The shaft of sunlight filtering down into the tunnel where they stood had grown pale, as if clouds had drifted in.

" Well, Adam, I think its time you left town. And the planet, while you're at it ".

He beckoned, and turned toward the stairs.

" Come on. We got to roll now, if we're going to get you to the Evac zones. They're still loading everyone up and hustling them out. "

He pulled the rifle off his back, and began to walk back up the stairs.

" Let's go, Adam ! I ain't leaving you here, so I hope you can walk ! "

Adam followed.

He couldn't help himself. Forge, this solider who really did look like the one he was, had a natural command presence about him. It wasn't just how tough and capable he appeared to be; it was how he carried himself. He was confident, in control, and he seemed to have a plan. He knew exactly what he was doing.

Just like Adam's father. Just like Benjamin.

Laceless shoes striking the concrete, Adam ran up the steps behind Forge, as they ascended the flight of stairs, heading for the opened felt a new sensation, rising and manifesting in him now, something other than that gnawing fear- for both himself, and his mother-, or cold apprehension over how he was supposed to survive.

Something else was there too:

 _Hope._ Not a branch to hold onto, but real hope.

" Sergeant ?! ", he called out. " Weren't you busy fighting the Covenant ? Why'd you stop to check down here ? "

Without slowing down a beat, his own boots producing that pattern again, Forge turned his head to face Adam, and with a note of conviction, answered him.

" Because, you're not ever too busy to do something worthwhile. "

* * *

 _BRSSH! BRSSSHH ! BRSSSSH !_

A trio of especially loud detonations assailed Forge and Adam's ears as they emerged topside. The explosions weren't on their position, or even adjacent to it, but they didn't need to be, for their echo to easily be heard for a wide range, pretty much all over the city.

Speaking of the city-

" Wh-What have they done ?! "

The moment Adam stepped through the doorway of the subway portal, and back into the outside, he immediately saw what effect the Covenant assault had on Pirth City.

It'd have been impossible not to: Pirth City was burning.

 _Towering_ columns of oily black smoke were rising into the sky from one end of the sky to other, spanning the length of the city, filling swathes of it with roiling, puffy dark clouds. Amid the columns and clouds of smoke, flocks of alien flying craft- the ones Adam had glimpsed when the doors to the subway had first opened- were roving around in the sky, though weather they were wandering, or following patterns, Adam couldn't tell. Streaking bolts and streams of plasma and energy were fired from them, down into the city, setting off more explosions, and raising yet more smoke.

A portion of the many fleets of cars and trucks that usually plied the city streets had been caught out in front, and none of the vehicles had come through unscathed. Most were nothing but mangled, severely twisted, and burned out wrecks, impossible to tell what kind of vehicle they'd been. Thousands of tiny fragments of metal debris were scattered all around the still- smoking husks, along with patches of _glass._ The aliens' plasma had turned the ground to glass.

Meanwhile,the city was burning, and its inhabitants were dying.

Strewn all over the ground immediately in front the entrance , and on the 6 lane street that ran past it between it and the now-smoldering 5 star Admiral Lysander Hotel, were bodies.

Dozens of bodies.

Unmistakably most of, or perhaps all of them, were the same ones who'd ridden the train with Adam when the attack on the city commenced. He'd watched them stream and cascade past him, out into the storm of the plasma barrage that the Covenant had lavished upon the entrance, easily spotting such a tantalizing target.

Adam had watched them die. It'd only lasted a fleeting moment- he was already on his way back into the depths of the subway by then- but he'd still seen more than one of them turned to ash and vapor, right in front of him. One second they were there, and the next they weren't. Gone. Wiped out.

The ones who lay on the ground still were there, though.

Face down. Face up. On their sides. They all lay dead, right where they'd fallen, apparently. In bunches, and alone, they lay there, motionless.

There wasn't even any blood, splashed everywhere, as there _should've_ been for a collection of corpses. There was debris- bits of half melted concrete gouged out of the road, for example- but, there was an absence of blood. The bodies, they were just lying there, sprawled and flopped over, with _charred craters_ burned into them. The plasma had sealed their wounds, even as it snuffed out their lives. Perhaps that was a form of dignity, in some grotesque fashion.

" Adam ?! Hey, Adam, we can't stay here ! "

 _Hhhh !_

Finally, Adam inhaled. He blinked, stepped back a few feet, and suddenly felt very cold.

So many, dead. They were all, just _dead._ The folks here, and the ones who were no doubt under those columns of smoke. They were all _dead_ , or being _killed._ The aliens, the _Covenant,_ they were _eradicating_ them !

There were so many dead. Just ordinary folks, who wanted to live. The Covenant didn't care. This wasn't collateral damage. This wasn't conflict.

This was straight up _genocide._ How could anyone survive this ?

Adam felt his eyes getting wet around the corners.

 _Mother. Mother, are you still out there ? Please, please, please, they couldn't have-_

A hand fell on his shoulder.

Adam wasn't alarmed; he was all numb now. Instead, he slowly looked over at who it was, thought he already knew.

" Son ", Forge gazed down at him, simultaneously grave, but also sympathetic. " Nobody's gonna judge you if you cry. "

" I won't at least. "

In truth, Adam _did_ feel like weeping. This was all like a ocean wave falling on him, all at once. Such, _annihilation,_ such literally _alien savageness,_ was so much, perhaps too much, for anyone to face and not be affected. Why, why were the Covenant doing this ? Why were they so determined to destroy the city, and massacre everyone in it ? They were _targeting_ the civilians. They were _hunting_ them. It was _genocide_ , plain and simple, no ifs, maybe, or ' possibly 's about it .It was their mission, to slaughter _every_ human in Pirth City.

And, the rest of Arcadia. And, then they'd move to another colony, and repeat everything again. An enemy with this kind of firepower, wasn't going to stop with one city, or one world. No way. They wouldn't stop. They wouldn't slow down. They were out to _wipe Humanity from existence._

Which, technically, included Adam. And his mother.

" I won't. ", Adam whispered. He spoke as numbly as he felt. " I don't even know if I can. "

Forge nodded, understanding.

" But, I might, if I don't find if my mother's ok. "

" I hear you, kid. If she's anywhere, it has to be at the evac zone. The fighting's gotten spread out, so now's our best bet to get there fast. "

" Come on. I hid my vehicle nearby. We'll ride it out of here. This way. " He took Adam by one shoulder, and led him along.

Adam didn't want to look at the remains of his fellow dead colonists one last time, but he forced himself to.

 _Brsssh ! Brsssh ! Brsshh !_

More plasma blasts, echoed out, as they atomized more of the city, and more of its inhabitants.

Like that while hot energy, something hot now sparked in Adam.

It was that hope, or, rather, it'd _been_ that hope. It still was, but it'd morphed, grown, and changed into another version of itself. Something that made Adam feel heated inside, and had him biting his lower lip.

Anger. Bitterness _._

 _Rage._ White hot like the plasma. It was burning in him now, eclipsing the shock and dread of finding the results of the Covenant's handiwork. It was hotter than that. These, _creatures_ , these _Covenant,_ had come to his home, his world. They'd massacred his fellow colonists, desecrated the land, and burned it. They'd come here, and they'd just _erased_ , everything and everyone, as if they hadn't ever existed.

Well, he wouldn't let them have the satisfaction of finishing the task. They wouldn't get away with annihilating Arcadia's denizens, not today at least.

He'd survive. And he'd get his mother offworld as well.

They'd both survive, and that would be their victory.

For now.

* * *

"- flight of Banshees, coming in ! 10:00 high ! "

The radio set into the dashboard of the 4x4 All Terrain, light recon vehicle known as a Warthog, blared out the latest report of the battle that was raging around the evacuation transports. They were under persistent, vigorous attack by Covenant combat fliers, and squads of Wraith tanks, all enthusiastically aiming to reduce each of the hulking Hamilton 797 Civilian Transport Flier craft that were being loaded with Arcadians, ready to ferry them offworld.

Said reports, didn't sound promising. Tanks and ground attack aircraft generally had a big advantage over unarmored, unarmored, slow craft. The latter tended not to last very long.

Seated in the passenger seat of the Warthog, Adam had to keep one hand firmly around the door handle, gripping it tightly, as Sgt. Forge drove with what could only be called a McGarret level of abandon, keeping the Warthog's engine revving at full RPM as they traversed the deserted, plasma scarred streets of Pirth city.

As if the radio wasn't proof enough of how the Covenant were still laying into the place, actually driving through its streets was. They'd once been a sparkling shade of coral-white, with blue tinted windows lining the strucrures that lines each street. Palm trees helpfully provided shade, and most of the city squares were adorned by majestic, looming statues of toga and armor clad men, and robe and dress wearing women, that hearkened back to Arcadi's namesake; the Greek city state of Arcadia, of Earth's ancient past ( This may not be Earth, but Arcadians understood that Earth was the origin point for Humanity's galactic empire. They wouldn't ignore their heritage ).

Above all else, it was Adam's home. He'd been born here. He'd lived here all his life. He knew no other home than this, and that's how he'd come to love it so.

Adam loved Pirth City. He was a city boy, through and through ( countryside's too quiet, and too many bugs ), and understood the rich history of Pirth City. How it'd become the glimmering jewel of Arcadia, the most sought after tourist destination in the Outer Rim. It was a place of enjoyment, warm welcomes, and hospitality. It was a city to be lived in, not just riddled with overcrowded high rises, and burdened by the faults of a failed city. It could convince even the most mountain loving country girl to understand the appeal of cities.

For any of its faults- admittedly rather heavy rain during the winter, a tendency of its drivers to be a bit too zealous, and not enough parking garages- Pirth City earned its worth.

Now, it was literally crumbling. Also, slagging, melting, and burning, right before Adam's eyes.

 _Its all burned. Its not a city anymore. Just a tomb._

The Warthog jolted, taking a corner with a piercing scream of its big, solid state tires. Adam was pushed against the door.

" Hang on, kid ", Forge grunted, centering the vehicle, letting the automatic gearshift do its work ( because, really, who can be bothered with fiddling around with a manual ? That's what automatics are for ) " ' Bout halfway there ! "

" Covvies have concentrated their forces around the 2nd Hamilton, so we're headed to the first. They seem all bent on that one. Not sure why, and not that it matters. Eh ? "

Adam nodded slowly.

" Still with me, Adam ? "

" Yes ", he responded. Shortly, and without any emotion.

It wasn't to put the Sergeant off. It was just, how he was now.

The NonCom didn't say anything at first, but after deftly steering them around a gaping crater in the street- and avoiding a line of deceased colonists, who'd been blown into the air by the same blast that'd gouged that crater- he said:

" If there's anything you want to say, you can say it. Free speech, captive audience "

He was keeping his tone neutral, receptive to if Adam did want to talk, but also understanding if he didn't. It was a clever move.

It worked.

" You probably already know ", Adam bit his lower lip again. " So angry. So confused. I don't know how we're going to come from this, _if_ we even can, and- "

" And I have to find my mother. I have to. That's all I have left now. "

He let his head touch the back of the moderately padded seat, and felt the anger, fear, and all the rest of it burn in him.

" I know. " Forge said.

" Hm ? "

" I know the fear. The one you do not name ", the sergeant told him, in a rather somber tone, as they drove down a gently downward sloping stretch of road, weaving past more burned trucks, and a Olifant sized, bulbous, purple shaded alien machine, which was also dead and out of action with a gaping hole burned through its front.

" Hmm. Good shooting ", Forge observed. " Our boys took that one out ".

Adam noticed that big hole at once. It must lead right to where the alien machine was driven from.

 _Good. I hope it hurt._

" You don't have to say it. But, I know. Because, I have someone I want to protect as well. Especially from these beasts. "

Some might say Forge was just saying that to be pure sympathetic to Adam; an adult, doing his duty to clam down a child.

But, Adam just wasn't getting that impression, not from Forge. He'd only met him less than an hour ago, at best. They'd spent most of that time here, in the Warthog, careening through the streets of Pirth, headed for Evac ships that were being attacked by the very enemy who'd done all this.

He'd been hit hard by what these creatures had done. He didn't think _anything_ could or would be the same ever again, and he'd had to face this all alone.

Not anymore. Somehow, he believed Forge. Somehow, he trusted him.

" Just got to stay alive. That's all we have now ", stated Adam.

" Its all we have. "

* * *

 _Brsshh ! Brssh ! Brsshh !_

 _Rraaaaaaachhh_

The echos of plasma explosions, and the roar of UNSC combat exo-atmospheric craft competed intensely for who could be loudest.

They were still a ways off- about a mile-, but everyone in the teeming mass of colonial evacuees filling the tarmac beside the bulk the Hamilton transport craft could hear them with alarming clarity. They could see the smoke columns reaching higher and higher into the sky, spreading out and forming clouds, and between that, the explosions, and the sounds and appearance of fliers, both UNSC and alien, they were all too aware that the fighting to cover their retreat was still ongoing

The same fight to kill them all, if the Covenant had anything to say about it.

You cut sever the tension over everyone's heads with a knife. Nobody was standing still, with just about everyone constantly shifting weight from one foot to the other, turning heads, or entire bodies even, as something rocketed overhead, or a new explosion blossomed. They were all already on pins and needles, to say nothing about how most of them- evac drills or not- were still more afraid then they'd ever been in their lives.

The presence of a full company of fully equipped UNSC troops, and a platoon of Arcadia Police Department SWAT poised behind sandbag barricades, the former of which had a gargantuan, twin barrelled _Grizzly tank,_ was probably one of the biggest reasons why outright panic hadn't erupted. That, and the aforementioned Hamilton. Its side loading hatches were open, and sections of the crowd were being herded and directed on board, by shouting and waving soldiers and cops, commanding everyone not to push, shove, or move out of order. There was room for everyone, they called.

That didn't matter to Juliara Hadren. She wasn't getting on without her boy.

The entrepreneur wring her hands for the umpteenth time, and berated herself for letting Adam go out on that little excusion of his, also for the umpteenth time.

Standing in the 3rd group of colonists from the one that was currently boarding the Hamilton, Juliara had stopped counting how many times she'd called Adam's name. Or, how many folks she'd asked if they'd seen him, doing her best to be articulate and specific as her crippling worry complicated her ability to do so. Or, how often she'd searched the faces of each new colonist or group of them that arrived at the evac zone, only to find Adam wasn't among them.

It was getting close for her group to board.

Well, that didn't matter. Without Adam, she would stay on Arcadia.


	3. Hot extraction

Pirth City

Evac Zone Delphi

* * *

" Keep _calm_ , everyone ! Stay in order ! "

The command, barked out at the booming volume of the Civic Announcement Loudspeakers, mounted on their poles surrounding the zone, carried easily over the ceaseless clamor of the hundreds upon hundreds of colonists, virtually all of whom were filled with varyingly high amounts of fear, apprehension, confusion, or any combination of those.

As well they should be.

The Battle for Pirth City wasn't over, not yet.

Landing zone Bravo, one of the only 2 zones still operation by now, was near enough to the battling forces so that the colonists gathered there could hear the scattered- but distressingly frequent- explosions of detonating Covenant and UNSC ordnance , loud enough for them to feel the vibrations in the ground, and even watch the tops of red-orange, and purple-white flumes of fire rising over the tops of buildings a few blocks away from the zone. In the sky, amid the generously numerous columns of smoke, they saw more flocks of those alien flying craft- Banshees- doing their destructive work on the Arcadian infrastructure- on the city-, while Human gunfire and missiles lashed up to meet them, occasionally downing a few. More fliers, big, angular and bulky UNSC ones, raced low over the zone, heading into the teeth of the fight.

A fight which everyone was certain was creeping closer and closer to them. And they were still _here._

The overwhelming urge to escape it all was strong at Evac Zone Bravo, but at the ( now gone ) Evac Zone Charlie, it'd been even worse, and it'd driven the Hamilton pilot there to do something tragically reckless: a preemptive launch.

Ignoring the pre- established timetable set by Arcadia Civic Control, the Hamilton set its engines to full burn, and began to rise, even as at least a third of the colonists who were waiting to board it were left staring, screaming, and swearing in unfiltered shock as they were left behind.

Soon, though, they found themselves grateful they were _not_ on board, as the massive vessel was less than a thousand ft off the ground, before a wing of alien fliers targeted it. A short volley of simmering plasma bolts slammed into the Hamilton's hull near its engines. They had no trouble at all punching clean through, setting them on fire, and seconds later, the Hamilton was spiraling out of the sky while trailing a long ribbon of fire and smoke. It slammed into the ground, and vanished into a roiling vortex of flame and scattered debris.

To say there were no survivors would be a criminal understatement, so nobody did.

The sight of the Hamilton's destruction, though, was also witnessed by those at Evac Zone Bravo, and as the crash's rumbling echo reached their ears, they very nearly erupted into full on panic; the screaming, pushing, and jostling among the colonists increased several notches, and the lot of them began to edge their way toward the front of the column, where their own Hamilton waited. Only a combination of stern orders- and warning shots- from the Arcadain Patrol officers, and the UNSC troops who were on station to manage the evacuation and provide security, along with a handful of more rational and strong- nerved colonists who pushed back-literally in some places- against the burgeoning chaos, and the lingering effects of the evacuation training and drills that everyone had gone through over the past few years, stopped said panic from sweeping through.

These were heroic actions, or at least admirably pragmatic, no doubt. But, even they couldn't hold off a riot/ stampede forever, and everyone knew it. Only getting everyone offworld could do that, and the assembled colonists at evac zone bravo now that had overwhelmingly at the front of their minds.

They stood together on the sweepingly wide landing space for the Hamilton, clutching in their hands ( or in hastily filled carryon bags ); the only pieces of their lives here they'd been able to salvage. Families, lovers, and even strangers pressed against and held onto each other, driven by that basic desire to not face what could easily be their deaths alone.

If there'd been no transport at hand at all, they might've been tempted to just take off and run into the unsettled wildlands of Arcadia, and take their chances out there instead. As it was, caught with nowhere to run except _up,_ they clung to that hope.

There wasn't much else.

For Juliara Hadren, though, there was more than that.

There was so much more than that, for her.

 _Adam wasn't here._

Standing amid the teeming mass of colonists, Juliara was all to aware of what they were feeling, because it was the same as herself. She was an Arcadian, from day 1 till right now. Her home was being destroyed, and there was no staying here. It was either escape, or die.

But, she wouldn't be escaping, not yet.

Not without him.

Not without her Adam.

Yet _again_ , she looked around at everyone, searching the faces of the colonists, or even the backs of their heads; it didn't matter. She'd know it was him.

Nothing.

Yet again, she turned to who was nearest to her- this time, an older colonist with a denim jacket and jeans, wearing a cap that said _UNSC Navy: Battleship ' Ticonderoga '. 2476.  
_

And asked that same question, in another form:

" Sir ?! Please, sir, have you seen a teenage boy anywhere here ? He's- he's tall. Shaved hair. Green eyes. He's got a- a black backpack with the city's crest on it "

The man blinked in surprise at being addressed so suddenly, but then furrowed his brow and thought for a bit.

Then shook his head.

" Oh. I-Understand. Thank you. "

Turning away slowly, feeling numb all of a sudden ( thought, it wasn't surprising ) Juliara bit her lower lip again, as thoughts surrounding Adam began crashing up against each other in her mind.

She'd kept them at bay all day, but not anymore.

On top of how much she loved him- that was a more than obvious given-, she wished, and regretted, letting him go today. She should've just told him no. Told him she wouldn't give him the money to travel downtown, but instead, wanted him to stay closer to home, for now at least. If she'd just done something like that, something that would've kept him from being, _out there, right now._

Her Adam would've been right here with her. She'd have pulled him along, literally in all likelihood, right from the doors of their 2 bedroom apartment home at 1492 Colombus lane, all the way here. Her Adam would not be lost right now.

He wouldn't be in such nightmarish danger, without anyone to help him.

Without _her._

 _" Final group ! Stand by ! "_

Another annoucment.

The UNSC soldiers along the perimeter of the evac columns- standing at attention in their battle armor, with sleek, black and grey rifles held at the ready- perked up even more at this, glancing up at where the speakers were, then back at the crowd.

Officers and NCOs among them began to issue orders, and slowly, they began to reorganize. Edging and moving toward the front of the evac zone

They were preparing to block it off. Juliara felt a bolt of terror spike through her.

" _Adam_ ", Juliara whispered, throat tightening.

Time was rapidly running out.

In fact, it was nearly gone.

* * *

" Adam ! " Look alive ! "

Forge's shout was clearly laced with adrenaline- which was understandable, as they were driving at speeds that certainly exceeded the city's limit-, but also, with genuine triumph.

" Nearly there, ok ?! "

In fact, Adam had been keenly aware of everything going on. As the Warthog continued its high speed journey through the Covenant- abused streets of Pirth City, he'd told himself to watch his surroundings closely.

Yes, it was painful to see his city, his home, is such a state. To see it burned, and laid to waste. But, Adam wouldn't let these memories escape him. He owed Pirth that much.

He owed everyone who'd called it home, as he did, that much.

If they'd left the worst of the damage behind, the worst of the ruined buildings, cratered streets, and scattered corpses, then they'd now arrived in where the weight of the combat hadn't reached: a long, grand boulevard that subtly wound its way back and forth. Along its sides, were numerous sit-down restaurants ( Pirth City wasn't big on fast food ) and cafes. All of them had outdoor seating; arrays of tables and chairs with umbrellas mounted on them, and most had palm trees dotted around in tall clay pots.

It was easily one of the prettiest sections of the city, and one that always left a good impression-

He sat upright abruptly, clutching the side of the door. More adrenaline raced through him.

Adam _recognized_ this area. He'd been here many times over the years. Why, just 4 days ago, he and his mother had gone to dinner at ' Fillets and Fish ', a poplular local seafood joint, on this very street ! This was the Phillip the Second Boulevard !

It was so ascetically pleasing, because it was intended for new arrivals from Arcadia to patronize as they were entering the city. Ones who were fresh off of:

" The orbital landing pads ! ", he gasped. " We're going to be there at the end of this road ! "

" That's right ! " Forge grinned, manipulating the wheel to take them over a comer, crashing through several chairs as they did. " As I said. "

" And not a moment too soon. I've been getting updated on the status of the evacuation. The Covvies are tightening the noose, and they might shift their focus to the zone _we're_ headed for at any time ! We have to be there _yesterday_ ".

There was no apprehension when he spoke, as usual. Only a new tone; one of determined focus.

Adam knew why, and he was sure he'd have done the same. They'd come this far. They'd gotten all the way through the ruins, and the desolation, alive and intact. Somehow, by some higher power, they'd avoided the Covenant long enough to put them- Adam-within spitting distance of escaping the raging storm that was Pirth City, and off the whole world entirely.

He was bent on keeping things that way.

" Just about ! "

The Warthog centered itself-

-as plasma crashed into the road nearby, and its shockwave pummeled them.

* * *

" _Final group ! Begin embarking, now_ ! "

New energy stirred in the crowd, when they heard this newest order.

 _They_ were the final group. The last of the colonists who'd been standing for all this time, out on the windswept expanse of the Evac zone, waiting for their opening to leave this place that'd once been their home, but was not any longer.

It was now a flaming, death-riddled wasteland-or at least most of it was. The alien invaders hadn't reached _this_ far, but gauging from all those explosions still echoing from further into town, the smoke, the fliers, and all other evidence of combat that raged on, they weren't about to stop. Or slow down.

The time to depart had been the moment the aliens had touched this world with the first of their plasma bolts, and it'd been lessening with every moment that went by. If they didn't embark on this Hamilton, they'd be stuck here. They'd be caught in the midst of a clash that none of them had a real chance of surviving.

So, it was with a renewed sense of purpose that everyone began to move.

Waving hands, and shouting, the UNSC troops began to gesture at , and generally herd, the crowded colonists toward the access ramp that led onto the Hamilton, where the Arcadian Patrol officers had raised the gate.

Finally. For the first moment during the entire onslaught, there was a feeling of real hope among the bulk of the colonists who'd been imbued with fear, as they walked, strode, and even limped toward the Hamilton.

 _Finally_ , their way _out_ of this nightmare.

" Adam ! _Adam_?! "

Juliara wasn't leaving it, though.

Not. Yet.

Not without her Adam.

But, she was out of time. The evacuation was nearly over, and when it was, anyone- _everyone_ \- who remained, weather by getting left behind, too afraid or injured to move, would be left at the mercy of the aliens. Yes, the UNSC was fighting them, that much was clear, but there was so much of a chance- so much- that you would wind up dead regardless.

The aliens were being very thorough. Pirth City was no place to be.

" Adam ! "

Not for Juliara, though.

She'd chosen what to do, if Adam wasn't here.

Now, she'd do it.

* * *

" What- _Banshees_ ! "

Somehow, Adam still heard Forge, over the roar of the exploding plasma.

It was the closest any of the burning alien energy had come to touching him- close enough that its heat washed over him. It was like a full blast oven being opened inches from him.

It was _fire._

He yelled out, feeling knives of pain embed themselves in his skin, and by pure reflex, touched the side of his face, anticipating that the skin there would be freshly burned and seared.

But, it wasn't. When his fingers touched there, the skin was warm, and heated, but it wasn't burned.

" Aghh ! "

" Adam ?! "

Wincing from the lingering pain, inhaling sharply through this teeth, Adam opened his eyes, and glanced up at the sky.

To find a Purple alien craft wheeling around to come at them again.

" It's still up there ! "

It was the nearest look Adam had ever gotten of the enemy, and it amazed and disgusted him in equal measure.

The shade of an eggplant, and roughly shaped like a potato, the bizarre looking craft had long, thin struts extending out from its sides. Thin tails of purple light trailed from the tips of the struts as it flew- though how it did so, Adam couldn't tell. There were no exhaust ports, or intake scoops anywhere on it. How did it move ?

Those were all fleeting thoughts, though. They all flashed by in the span of a second. And, they were replaced by only 2:

' Are they going to kill me _now ? '_

 _' Mother, please have gotten away. '_

 _" Hold on , tight, Adam ! "_

Forge unintentionally interrupted him, with both the token advice, and promptly taking evasive maneuvers. He jinked the Warthog hard to one side, then to the other. Just as he did, another plasma bolt slammed down, blossoming into another miniature firestorm. It wasn't _as_ close as the last, but it was still close.

That couldn't last, though.

More plasma shot toward them: now fired from rapid fire autocannons that stitched the road with bolts, flash boiling and turning the road's surface to glass. They did the same to everything they hit- slagging street lamps, potted plants, news kiosks-, though they kept missing their intending target. Forge's aggressive defensive driving _was_ throwing off the alien pilot's aim- and/or perhaps whoever was flying it wasn't especially good-, but still.

 _Can it last long enough ? Please, please,_

Tires screaming, they rounded the next bend.

" Home stretch ! "

Forge was right, and Adam could see it too.

Adam felt his hope- _that_ hope, the one that's surfaced when Forge had first appeared in front of him- rise.

It pushed aside all those other feelings. All those other fears. It drowned them all out, because he could see it now. Right there, just past the end of this stretch of road-

The evac zone awaited. There it was !

A wide, octagonal pad, bordered by real grass, with the proud, pearl white crest of the city of Pirth on it- an Ancient Greek town hall building, with soaring marble columns all across its front, and flanked by two Hoplites in full armor- with a control tower looming imposingly over it all.

Usually, the spot was used as an departure/ arrival point for orbital craft coming to and from the surface, on their way from or two larger spacecraft in low orbit. While not the main point of off-world traffic- that was the Miltiadies Spaceport, known for its exceptionally large indoor reflection pools, and numerous actual granite statues-, but that was within the center of downtown, and from all the smoke rising from where it was, it was fortunate that the city's main evac points were further out.

Forge and his charge had just about arrived at one.

But, their hound was still snapping at their heels. Plasma could end their journey in a hot ( literally ) second.

A second, though, could be all they need.

* * *

" Ma'am ! We _cannot_ let you by ! "

The solider who's spoken- tall, jawline covered with a mid length goatee, and the undeniably ( and rather fittingly ) Greek name of ' Papadakis ', was doing an admirable job of coming off an gentle, but also unyielding as well.

He wasn't alone, of course. Along with him, was the rest of a squad of UNSC troops, all manning a perimeter of SWAT police-issue barricades and sandbags that now formed a blockage to the entrance of the evac zone. As the final wave of colonists were on the verge of beginning their boarding, the UNSC and Arcadian Patrol personnel had shored up the defensive line. A trio of Wolverine Anti-Air half tracks had trundled in, ready to provide a capable defense against the kind of attack that'd claimed the Hamilton at Evac Zone Charlie.

Between them, and the detachment of heavily armed UNSC infantry, nobody in their right mind would approach it, and thin they could get past.

Then again, Juliara Hadren was in quite a different state of mind at the moment.

" No, no, NO ! ", she all but shouted, and again sought to push past him. " Haven't you _listened_ ?! My boy is still there ! "

She pointed at the burning city

" He's still _there_ ! I have to go-

" Ma'am ! The city is _sealed_ to civilians ! You must leave, now ! "

Papadakis didn't budge, in both versions of the word. He was, of course, bigger and taller than the somewhat petite Juliara by noticable margin, and he was a good serviceman who knew what his orders were, and what the situation was.

But, there was something in his manner that told Juliara he wasn't completely indifferent to her plight.

Frantically, she went at it again.

" _Not without him_ ! Let me through ! "

" Please ", Juliara felt tears stinging her eyes, and did not care a bit when they began to trickle and then flow down her face. She didn't care if they watched her weep.

" Please, I have to. I can't leave him here ".

" If he is not already here, then there is nothing we can do for him. I hate that he was not found, but I cannot help you. You _cannot_ stay here any longer. "

He kept a hand on her shoulder, keeping her back. The other hand cradled his BR55 rifle, holding it by the grip.

" You and all of them will die otherwise. "

Juliara hadn't been up close with a weapon before, but it didn't frighten her. Not at all.

Not when there was so much for her to lose.

" _Let me_ \- !"

She aimed to lunge past him.

And failed when he bodily forced her back on her heels.

" _Ma'am !_ " Papadakis had more steel in voice now.

 _Brsssh ! Brssh Brsssh !_

Off to the far right, a large apartment building had its top blown completely off by a hammer blow of plasma. It was consumed in a vortex of searing fire, and splintering chips of concrete and wood.

The rumbling, thunderous echo of the destruction carried easily to Evac Zone Bravo.

" You must go, _now_ , or we will use force "

They were serious about it, Juliara could understand, even in her worry- controlled state of mind. They were indeed ready and poised to stop her.

Let them do their worst. They would have to kill her to stop her from-

 _Wrssshh ! Wrsssh ! Wrsssh !_

Out of the blue, a volley of missiles erupted from the launchers on one of the Wolverines. They streaked upwards, leaving rapidly lengthening plumes of exhaust behind them.

The din of the launch caught the attention of several troops on the line, exclaiming in surprise, and craning their necks to see there the missiles were headed.

Juliara didn't notice where, though, nor did she care.

She had just enough awareness, just enough wit left, to realize and acknowledge that she couldn't, and wouldn't, get past the UNSC line. There was no way at all, and through all her crippling worry, and tearing grief, that was clear to her now.

She was glued to the spot, unable for the life of her to go forward, or go back. Juliara couldn't reach her Adam, but she couldn't leave without him.

" Ma'am ", Papadakis had caught onto her anguish, and was taking a kinder tone now, gripping her firmly by both shoulders.

" Let us get you aboard-

" _M12_ ! "

One of the nearby soldiers was yelling out.

" _Inbound Warthog_ ! "

* * *

The Banshee was down.

It's destruction had caught Adam by surprise. One second, it'd been above him, peppering the ground around his and Forge's Warthog with bolts and streams of searing hot plasma and energy, its bizarre whirring of its engines nagging at his ears, promising imminent death.

And the next, it was gone. A sharply cracking explosion, and then nothing.

By reflex, Adam looked up and behind him to see what had happened. He was greeted by the sight of a firecloud in the sky, and chunks of smoldering purple metal, cascading down, landing all over the street.

" Its- its down ! ", he exclaimed.

He couldn't tell if he sounded more elated, or grateful.

He decided he could be both. Why not ? The enemy chasing him was dead.

" I heard ! ", Forge called. " You can thank _them_ for it ! Look ahead ! "

Adam did so, twisting around-

\- find they were here.

The Warthog rapidly began to decelerate, coming to a tire screeching halt as it approached a perimeter of UNSC forces, manning sandbag walls and metal barricades. In the background, sitting large on the landing pad, was a Hamilton Civic Transport Craft. A column of colonists was gathered near its flank, preparing to disappear inside.

The big craft's engines clearly on. It was time for it to leave.

They'd done it, and not before time.

" We're on foot ! " Forge declared, shutting down the engine and leaping out.

" Come on ! I'll walk you in "

Adam was already moving, undoing his restraints, and jumping onto the ground. He began to run toward the perimeter, with Forge coming over to lead the way.

" Gangway ! ", he shouted at the troops manning the line. " Got a teenage kid here ! Gangway ! "

The troops he was addressing blinked in surprise, but quickly did as he said, clearing a gap and waving them on through.

" Take him in, Sergeant. Last evac group is boarding now !"

" Thanks for the heads up "

Sergeant and the kid ran through, boots and sneakers pounding the ground as the raced in. The Hamilton wasn't far off. It was right there-

" Sergeant Forge, did you say you had a boy with you ?! "

A solider from off to one side called out to them as they went by.

" There is a woman here who says-

" WAIT ! ADAM ?! "

Adam stopped dead, as if he'd hit a duracrete wall, shoes scraping.

His senses- thinking, hearing, and seeing- went into tunnel mode, all directed at one point.

Where that voice had come from. He turned in that direction.

And there she was. His mother, Juliara, half in the arms of a UNSC solider who appeared to be half holding her back from lunging forward, half supporting her. Juliara's face was wet with tears, and Adam hadn't ever seen her so distraught.

It carved him to the quick. He felt his own eyes beginning to sting.

" Mother ?! Over here ! "

He bolted over, nearly stumbling as he sprinted in that direction. Not a minute had gone by, all throughout this entire ordeal, not at all, had he stopped thinking of her. Dying on this world had entered his mind, but with her. Living throguh this and escaping had been there too, but also with her. It wasn't his choice, to think that.

Not at all.

" ADAM ! Oh, Its you- ! "

Then, he couldn't think anymore, because at that moment, he'd finally reached her. Her arms were around him, and she had holding onto him with the kind of ferocity that only a mother was capable of.

" I wouldn't leave without you. I wouldn't ", she wept openly, crushing him into her.

Keeping his arm around her back, pulling her close, Adam smiled, even as his own eyes became wet.

" And I wouldn't stay without you. ", he told her, with absolute truth.

" But, I didn't do it alone ".


	4. A fragment of home, memory of a father

It was an odd paradox.

On one hand, an alien enemy that was seeking nothing less than the absolute annihilation of Pirth City, everyone in it- solider and civilian alike- was hammering and tearing into the capital of Arcadia with wanton recklessness, ruthlessly pulverizing as much of Pirty City as they could with their white hot plasma. There was smoke choking the sky as the city burned under the assault, and explosions chained and blossomed every few seconds at quickest, and every few minutes at longest. Flocks and formations of fliers, both Human and alien, were hard at work over the rooftops; the latter attacking the ground, the former battling to stop them.

It was destruction on a total scale, and it was the last place the population of Pirth City had to be now. Their home had become a certifiable deathtrap, and there was only one option open to them now.

Total evacuation.

But, as dire as it all was, even as they were filing aboard their evacuation vessels by the thousands, that would take them away from here, that was there only chance to live-

Two of them, had blocked all that out. Just for a handful of spectacularly soothing seconds.

Juliara Hadren had been reunited with her boy, at the very moment where she thought she'd lost him for good.

Adam Hadren was right here, in her embrace. He was _alright_. He was _alive,_ and she knew that now.

Live or die, she wouldn't be without him, and nothing seemed _anywhere_ close to mattering as much.

She pulled back, and held his face between her hands, looking him in the eyes.

" Honey, _Adam_ ".

Her words were bumping into each other again. She was brimming with joy, and relief, to where it nearly too much to take. Having Adam where she could see and hold him, in times as shocking dangerous and lethal as this, was all she could want or ask for. The emotions is provoked were supremely powerful.

But, she had to stay controlled , Juliara reminded herself. She was his mother. She had to-

" Don't worry anymore. _Here we are_ ", Adam smiled, as he held her by her upper arms. " _I_ am here "

He paused for second, seeming to remember something, and then his eyes lit up.

 _BRSSH !  
_

Even the now eerily familiar echo of exploding plasma couldn't distract Adam from his thoughts now. For once, at least.

" Adam ? What- ? "

" Adam ! Come on, man, you and your mother need to get going ! "

Forge. The big solider came jogging up to them, his rifle held in one hand.

" Its time for you leave, I think. "

Juliara seemed to finally notice anything beyond Adam for the first time. She looked up at Forge, and her eyes widened at the sight of a combat-rigged solider, spattered with what was obviously alien blood, right in front of her.

" Oh. Hello, Miss Hadren ".

For a fleeting moment, a sense of normalcy existed as the NCO took a second or two to greet Juliara.

" I am Sergeant John Forge. So, this is your boy ? Found him hunkered in the subway. Got him here as fast as I could ".

He spoke quickly and clipped, which was how Adam would've thought he would at moment like this. In the brief while he'd know Forge, he'd understood that he was a man who liked, and was able, to get things done, yet had a sense of decorum and control about him that could instill confidence in anyone.

 _Just like Father did. Just like Benjamin.  
_

It was no wonder, then, why Adam had trusted him so.

" Y-Yes ", Juliara stammered, blinking, still in a form of awe of him.

" You found him ? "

" Sergeant, I must inform you: we are all but of time ! We must get them out, now ! "

Papadakis had reached them, coming up to the edge of their miniature crowd, addressing Forge with crisp urgency.

Forge took the new information with his usual calm brevity, nodding, then taking his rifle in both hands.

" Understood. Rejoin your unit. I will be there shortly ".

" Yes, Sergeant. "

As Papadakis left at a run, Forge turned to the Hadren again.

" Allright, you two. You're both getting on that ship-"

He indicated the Hamilton.

" - and you're getting _off_ this world. _Hurry_. "

He heaped weight onto the word ' Hurry '. As if a way to get across that he was more aware than most of just how dangerous it was to remain here, and how badly they had to leave.

His strong-featured face reflected this as he looked at them; grave, but open. He was ready for battle, but to protect them. That was all the cause he needed.

That was what Adam had come to recognize, long before now. The aliens- the Covenant- were the most nightmarish threat and danger any of them could ever anticipate facing ( not that any sane person did that ), and being anywhere near the full force of their might was indeed terrifying. There could be no doubt of that.

But, then Forge had come. He'd come into Adam's life, and saved it. Adam had the clarity of mind, with escape so close at hand, and his mother confirmed to be alright, to fully realize that.

Forge had gotten him out in time. If he _hadn't_ come,if he hadn't entered that subway, and called out if anyone still lived, Adam might've stayed there, and not left. He could very well have been there right now, still sitting there in the pale light of the emergency subway systems. Stayed there, for the Covenant to eventually find.

Better not to think of that.

Forge had saw to it that Adam had a way out of that quagmire. Placed him in that Warthog, and driven him through the ruins of Pirth City, so savagely laid to waste by the Covenant. He'd been a calming influence on Adam, as the teen was struck with the sight of the aliens' gruesome handiwork- their _genocide_. He'd been a rock that could, and had, stood against the anguish and shock that hit Adam when he found all those dead colonists, slain by the Covenant, lying on the ground where they'd fallen.

Above and through it all, Forge had been his brother, in a way. Not just " a solider who saved me ". Some might see it that way- they'd known each other for less than a day, after all ! - but Adam didn't.

He knew he owed Forge, for more than one thing. And, if they were about to head their separate ways-

Adam may not ever get to thank him again, if he didn't now. The thought of that flashed to the front of his mind, and he didn't like it.

Not at all.

" Sergeant Forge ! ", he exclaimed, stepping forward.

The NCO look at him, eyebrow raised in the slightest gesture of surprise.

Adam quickly continued.

" Thank you. For everything. Please, _please_ always remember you did something worthwhile this day, because you _did_. "

It was easy to speak from the heart, when that was all you had to say.

Or, if you were someone like Adam. Who'd had everything to lose, and everything to gain: his survival, and that of his mother.

Speaking of whom, Juliara soon joined him in expressing gratitude.

" You saved my boy ", she told Forge, as if it were the most unassailable of facts. Stepping forward, she quickly closed the distance, and hugged Forge.

And kissed him.

The Sergeant saw all of that coming, of course. But, he didn't move out of the way, or seek to stop her.

He accepted it. He was surprised, but he accepted it.

Adam wished to capture that moment in time forever, in his mind, at least. He wanted to remember this moment, and hold onto it.

His mother, himself, and John Forge. It looked and seemed so perfect.

Then it was over.

" You're welcome ma'am. "

" Juliara ". She was smiling again. " Thank you as well, Sergeant "

" Call me Juliara, by the way. ".

" Your boy's fixing to be good man, if I am right ", Forge told her, with a slight smile of his own. " Keep doing what you're doing with him "

" Take care.

He stepped back. As he began to turn away-

He stopped long enough to press a round metal disc into Adam's hand. He squeezed it, in a good, firm shake.

" Sergent ? What- "

" Just a little reminder. You're a solider at soul, Adam. Godspeed "

And, with that.

Forge did an about face, and left.

Headed straight back toward the vortex that was Pirth City.

* * *

Arcadia was behind them now.

Literally. The Hamilton was swimming through the vacuum of space, massive sublight engines crackling and rumbling with the force required to push its formidable bulk along.

Further and further from the lush, jungle world it had just left.

Further and further from the raging battles that were dotting its surface, and becoming more numerous by the hour. Even from out here, even from orbit, blooms of fire could be seen, as Human forces and those of the genocidal alien legions known as the Covenant continued to battle it out.

One way or the other, they would decide who would own that world.

Until they did, though, the denizens of Arcada who still lived, had a journey ahead of them. Further into Human controlled space they'd go, away from the alien onslaught, as far as they could go.

They'd had to leave their home behind, but in a way, they'd also taken it with them.

Not just their belongings, of course. What was their home that they still had, where the memories. Emotions, and attachments to Arcadia that nothing to sever. Not even the Covenant.

For one boy, huddled with his mother amid the tent city of colonists that was no present on the main deck of the Hamilton, there was something else.

By the light of the lamp they'd been given, his mother held it so he could study what Forge had given him.

" It suits you, " Juliara told him.

She kissed the top of his head.

" He was right, about you. "

Adam didn't- couldn't- say anything. He bit his lip, holding tight to the small disk, not wanting to ever let it go.

UNSC challenge coins- ones adorned with the full crest of its armed forces- were worth a lot more than wealth to many, after all.

Including, fittingly, Adam Hadren.


End file.
